Builders' Forum

I have enjoyed this forum and it saved me from making a lot of mistakes on the Ches. 18 that I'm building. However, I have made a mistake. Looks like the tops of the deck beam and front and rear bulkheads are a bit low. After planing the shear clamps I find that there is a little less than 1/8 inch gap between the planing guides and the tops of the beam and bulkheads. It's an even space at least. I suppose the deck could be pushed down that much but it would distort the curve from what it is intended to be. Also could put the deck on with the gap and then reach in and fillet the gaps. But I'm wondering if it would be best to trim a thin strip, soak it, curve it over those parts and glue it down with epoxy to take up the gap. Any suggestions?

This is a common problem, and if you search the forum archives (post-2008 and pre-2008 both) you'll find a lot of discussion on the topic. Try a thread that began on August 6 entitled "Stern and deck/bulkead issue."

On my LT-17 I had about the same gap on my forward bulkhead, and filled the gap with thickened epoxy. After applying it,. I flipped the boat so any slumping before the epoxy cured would be toward the deck and not away from it. This, you'll see, is one of the more common if less elegant fixes when the gap is fairly small, but there are others who tackled the problem much as you suggest.